Legislator Chen Chin-teh (陳金德) of the ruling DPP will leave for Beijing today to push for the lifting of a Chinese ban on mainland crewmen working aboard Taiwanese fishing boats.
Chen's trip grabbed the attention of Taiwan's media because it will make him the first DPP member to travel to China since Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) said earlier this year that DPP politicians are welcome to visit China "in an appropriate capacity."
However, Chen said yesterday that his visit has nothing to do with politics.
"I'm visiting China in a private capacity and the main purpose of my visit is to help shipowners in my constituency to resolve problems caused by the abrupt Chinese labor-export ban," Chen said.
The DPP lawmaker said he wants to keep his mainland itinerary low-profile.
Chen, elected from the northeastern county of Ilan -- one of Taiwan's major fishing industry hubs -- said he will join a 15-member delegation of the Taiwan Provincial Fishery Association (台灣省漁會), which arrived in Beijing Thursday, when they negotiate with relevant Beijing authorities for the lifting of the labor ban.
During his visit, Chen said he plans to meet with Chinese officials in charge of fishing, trade and labor affairs, as well as senior executives of the Beijing-based Fishing Labor Coordination Committee for the Two Sides of the Taiwan Strait (大陸兩岸漁工合作勞務協調委員會).
On Feb. 11, the eve of Chinese New Year, the mainland authorities abruptly banned its nationals from working on Taiwan vessels, in what has been sold as an attempt to force Taiwan shipowners to improve working and living conditions for mainland fishermen employed by Taiwan-owned boats.
As Taiwan's offshore fishing industry has become heavily dependent on mainland crew over the past decade, the ban has seriously affected Taiwan's catches and has forced many fishing vessels to suspend operations.
Both the Council of Labor Affairs and the Council of Agriculture have agreed to offer financial subsidies to encourage local shipowners to hire Taiwan fishermen to work aboard their ships, but shipowners are still finding it difficult to hire enough local crewmen to keep their vessels working. In fact, industry sources said few local people are now willing to work aboard fishing boats.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS